1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is in the field of medical diagnosis, in particular in the field of neurological diagnosis, and it relates to a method and a device for determining sensory functions such as hearing, sight, smell, touch and pain functions.
2. Description of the Related Art
Several methods and means for determining the degree of functioning of the senses are known. The auditory function can for example be assessed using audiometry, visual acuity by means of various tables, tactile sense by means of touch of various strength, pain sensitivity by means of a prick with a needle or with special bristles etc.
However, such methods and their variants are based on a subjective perception of the stimuli applied and on the patient's interpretation and report. The latter is a great drawback of the known methods and hampers an objective recording of the sensory perception.
An objective assessment of the functioning of the sense organs is very important in making a diagnosis, in examining children and newborn infants, in forensic medical examination and in veterinary medicine.
A method of recording skin potentials is known (I. F. Tarchanov, "The Journal of forensic psychiatry", vol 7, (1), p. 73 (1989), and others), but this method is not used for the assessment of the functional condition of the senses (vision, hearing, smell, tactile and pain sensitivity).